I'm a first time dm and one of my players has an extremely OP character it feels like for their level. I am unsure of how to tone it down or make the other players feel like they're contributing as well. Can I get some tips or suggestions?
How are they OP? Are they storming every encounter? Using a familiar for free advantage on everything? There are plenty of ways to solve it, but we have to know the problem. What level? Give us details.
Do you have some examples of what they are doing/able to do that you feel is overpowered?
Is this character by the book or do they use homebrew?
Hopefully we can give you some good advice with a little more info.
General advice for make other players feel like they are contributing would be to make situations for others to shine(example: barbarian is a powerhouse in combat, perhaps social encounters would let a bard shine. If you have a character who is amazing in combat set up a situation where something has to happen in an area with opponents, they the combat oriented player can give cover to the player that is picking a lock, solving a puzzle, trying to pull an npc out of a bad situation ect.)
To answer your question, they're a level 2 Sorcerer and they've got insane modifiers for all of their skills, +3 or higher. They're quite literally blasting through most of the encounters I put them through.
insane modifiers for all of their skills, +3 or higher.
Skills, or abilities?
Having +3 in all the skills you're proficient with (investigation, arcana, etc) would be very reasonable at level 2. That would just be a +2 from level and a +1 from the ability. So I'm assuming you mean abilities--Strength, Dex, Wis, etc. So their character has a 16 or higher in all their abilities?
They rolled it, right? (Side rant: I still prefer rolling the old standard 4d6 drop one for generation, and if I know and trust the player, I'm even okay with that happening away from my eyes...but it was long ago that I actually started feeling bad about amazing stat sets, and I'd actually reroll really good ones when I was in the same boat. I remember starting a campaign, good buddy DM said to bring a character we'd all made on our own time. I straight up rolled five 17s and an 18. Stared at them for a solid 10 minutes. Then rolled them all over again. Did I regret that move later? Yes. A few times in that campaign, I did.)
Anyway...toss more things at them that affect the whole group. A pit trap that drops the whole floor out from under the party, not just one or two characters. Make success dependent on more than just that one party member succeeding. If that one character is a stud, make sure he has to take up more slack, gets targeted more, etc. Bad guys aren't dumb, they'll focus on the really tough one.
Easiest solution, talk to the player away from the session. "Hey man, you're really kicking butt out there and doing some cool things, but I'm afraid that the others at the table aren't getting enough of a chance to really participate. Any chance you could tone it down a bit?"
Alternatively, you could beef up the encounters a bit (more/harder baddies, harder DCs), create situations specific to certain other characters' skills, or even use baddies that are part of a larger group, so word may have reached them about the Magic-wielder being the most dangerous, therefore painting a target on them.
Also, a trap or room involving an anti-magic field is a quick way to bring an OP caster down a peg or two.
I had a similar issue with one of my PC's. A Goliath Barbarian that was just destroying everything. But the issue isn't the player, it's you. Sorry. Cause it was me. I had to get more creative with my combat. Diversify your enemies. Use terrain. For a spell caster, I would have ranged attacks with spread out enemies to minimise the impact of area of effect spells. Make them pick them off one by one while they turn him into a pin cushion. Give them cover. A bunch of goblins stepping out, shooting arrows, then getting back behind cover would probably give him trouble.
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I'm a first time dm and one of my players has an extremely OP character it feels like for their level. I am unsure of how to tone it down or make the other players feel like they're contributing as well. Can I get some tips or suggestions?
How are they OP? Are they storming every encounter? Using a familiar for free advantage on everything? There are plenty of ways to solve it, but we have to know the problem. What level? Give us details.
Extended Signature! Yay! https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/3153-extended-signature-thread?page=2#c21
Haven’t used this account in forever. Still a big fan of crawling claws.
What race/class is the character?
Do you have some examples of what they are doing/able to do that you feel is overpowered?
Is this character by the book or do they use homebrew?
Hopefully we can give you some good advice with a little more info.
General advice for make other players feel like they are contributing would be to make situations for others to shine(example: barbarian is a powerhouse in combat, perhaps social encounters would let a bard shine. If you have a character who is amazing in combat set up a situation where something has to happen in an area with opponents, they the combat oriented player can give cover to the player that is picking a lock, solving a puzzle, trying to pull an npc out of a bad situation ect.)
To answer your question, they're a level 2 Sorcerer and they've got insane modifiers for all of their skills, +3 or higher. They're quite literally blasting through most of the encounters I put them through.
Did you roll for stats, use point buy or standard array? Because that is quite
impossiblehard to do without rolling for stats.any chance there is a home brew race or class involved?
What are they doing? Skills don’t really do anything in combat, but attacks do.
Extended Signature! Yay! https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/3153-extended-signature-thread?page=2#c21
Haven’t used this account in forever. Still a big fan of crawling claws.
Skills, or abilities?
Having +3 in all the skills you're proficient with (investigation, arcana, etc) would be very reasonable at level 2. That would just be a +2 from level and a +1 from the ability. So I'm assuming you mean abilities--Strength, Dex, Wis, etc. So their character has a 16 or higher in all their abilities?
They rolled it, right? (Side rant: I still prefer rolling the old standard 4d6 drop one for generation, and if I know and trust the player, I'm even okay with that happening away from my eyes...but it was long ago that I actually started feeling bad about amazing stat sets, and I'd actually reroll really good ones when I was in the same boat. I remember starting a campaign, good buddy DM said to bring a character we'd all made on our own time. I straight up rolled five 17s and an 18. Stared at them for a solid 10 minutes. Then rolled them all over again. Did I regret that move later? Yes. A few times in that campaign, I did.)
Anyway...toss more things at them that affect the whole group. A pit trap that drops the whole floor out from under the party, not just one or two characters. Make success dependent on more than just that one party member succeeding. If that one character is a stud, make sure he has to take up more slack, gets targeted more, etc. Bad guys aren't dumb, they'll focus on the really tough one.
Looking for new subclasses, spells, magic items, feats, and races? Opinions welcome :)
Easiest solution, talk to the player away from the session. "Hey man, you're really kicking butt out there and doing some cool things, but I'm afraid that the others at the table aren't getting enough of a chance to really participate. Any chance you could tone it down a bit?"
Alternatively, you could beef up the encounters a bit (more/harder baddies, harder DCs), create situations specific to certain other characters' skills, or even use baddies that are part of a larger group, so word may have reached them about the Magic-wielder being the most dangerous, therefore painting a target on them.
Also, a trap or room involving an anti-magic field is a quick way to bring an OP caster down a peg or two.
He's BONA-FIDE!
I had a similar issue with one of my PC's. A Goliath Barbarian that was just destroying everything. But the issue isn't the player, it's you. Sorry. Cause it was me. I had to get more creative with my combat. Diversify your enemies. Use terrain. For a spell caster, I would have ranged attacks with spread out enemies to minimise the impact of area of effect spells. Make them pick them off one by one while they turn him into a pin cushion. Give them cover. A bunch of goblins stepping out, shooting arrows, then getting back behind cover would probably give him trouble.